Konstantinos Gardikis

APIVITA SA · Research and Development

Cyclodextrins have gained significant and established attention as versatile carriers for the delivery of bioactive compounds derived from natural sources in various applications, including medicine, food and cosmetics. Their toroidal structure and hydrophobic cavity render them ideal candidates for encapsulating and solubilizing hydrophobic and po...

The chiral pair alkannin and shikonin and their ester derivatives (A/S), are lipophilic secondary metabolites possessing a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. Their incorporation in lipid-based drug delivery systems can enhance their therapeutic efficacy, especially for dermal or transdermal applications. In this work, A/S in the form of o...

Royal jelly is a yellowish-white substance with a gel texture that is secreted from the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of young worker bees. It consists mainly of water (50–56%), proteins (18%), carbohydrates (15%), lipids (3%–6%), minerals (1.5%), and vitamins, and has many beneficial properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti...

The objective of this work was the development of a green extraction method based on the use of a deep eutectic solvent (DES) to extract caffeine from coffee pulp (CP). Choline chloride and glycerol were used as hydrogen bond acceptor and hydrogen bond donor, respectively. ATR-FTIR and viscosity measurements were conducted for the characterization...

Cosmetic and food products containing water are prone to contamination during the production, storage, and transit process, leading to product spoilage and degraded organoleptic characteristics. The efficient preservation of food and cosmetics is one of the most important issues the industry is facing today. The use of nanotechnology in food and co...

Plants constitute a rich source of diverse classes of valuable phytochemicals (e.g., phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids) with proven biological activity (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, etc.). However, factors such as low stability, poor solubility and bioavailability limit their food, cosmetics and pharmaceutic...

Surface active agents (SAAs), currently used in modern industry, are synthetic chemicals produced from non-renewable sources, with potential toxic impacts on humans and the environment. Thus, there is an increased interest for the identification and utilization of natural derived SAAs. As such, the marine environment is considered a promising sourc...

Propolis is a resinous substance produced by bees that exhibits antimicrobial, immunostimulatory and antioxidant activity. Its use is common in functional foods, cosmetics and traditional medicine despite the fact that it demonstrates low extraction yields and inconsistency in non-toxic solvents. In this work, a new encapsulation and delivery syste...

The present study aimed to investigate the metabolic profile, as well as the antioxidant and anti-ageing activities of twenty propolis samples from different regions of Greece. Chemical profiling of methanolic extracts was investigated using HPTLC and ¹H-NMR techniques. Their antioxidant activity was evaluated by free radical scavenging methods (DP...

Abstract Natural ingredients have been used to improve the state of health in humans. The genus Paeonia has been studied only limited yet it’s reported to have many activities such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. To this context, here we focused on an endemic Paeonia species in Attica. This study aims to present the development of the Paeonia...

The strain Aspergillus chevalieri TM2-S6 was isolated from the sponge Axinella and identified according to internal transcribed spacer (ITS) molecular sequence homology with Aspergillus species from the section Restricti. The strain was cultivated 9 days on potato dextrose broth (PDB), and the medium evaluated as antioxidant on primary normal human...

Adverse environmental conditions such as UV radiation induce oxidative and aging events leading to severe damage to human skin cells. Natural products such as plant extracts have been implicated in the skin anti-oxidant and anti-aging cellular protection against environmental stress. Moreover, environmental factors have been shown to impact chromat...

In the present study, we aimed to examine the antioxidant, antiaging and photoprotective properties of Greek honey samples of various botanical and geographical origin. Ethyl-acetate extracts were used and the and the total phenolic/flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. Honey extracts were then studied for their cytoprotective...

The hatching enzymes or choriolysins are key proteases in fish life cycle controlling the release of larvae to surrounding environment that have been suggested as target for novel biotechnological uses. Due to the large amounts of eggs released by the flatfish Solea senegalensis, during the spawning season, the hatching liquid properties and chorio...

The profiles of Vitis vinifera L. and Salvia triloba L. leaf extracts have been studied via photometric assays on the basis of their total phenolic and flavonoid content as well as of their radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Ultrasound-assisted (UAE) and pressurized liquid extractions (PLE) were implemented for producing polar fractions...

Propolis presents notable and variable antioxidant activity depending on the territory and the local flora. As a result, propolis collected from areas presenting botanical diversity can become an intriguing research field. In the present study, we examined propolis from different areas of Samothraki, a small Greek island in the north‐eastern Aegean...

The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant, photoprotective, and antiaging effects of Greek propolis. Propolis was subjected to n-heptane or methanol extraction. Total phenolic/flavonoid content and antioxidant potential were determined in the extracts. Promising extracts were evaluated for their cytoprotective properties using human immor...

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of Greek sage leaves, i.e. Salvia fruticosa, was investigated at various operation conditions. Specifically, the effect of pressure, temperature and solvent flow rate on the extraction yield was examined. Thus, it was shown that as pressure increases, yield increases as well, while the effect of temperature...

Clays and muds have been used for centuries as cosmetics or pharmaceutical products for various therapies. The suitability of muds and clays for health- and beauty-related applications depends on their physicochemical properties, mineralogical composition, particle characteristics and toxicity. In this work, the physicochemical characterization of...

Spa resorts are known for thousands of years for their healing properties and have been empirically used for the treatment of many inflammatory conditions. Mud is one of the most often used natural materials for preventive, healing and cosmetic reasons and although it has been used since the antiquity, little light has been shed on its physical, ch...

Nowadays, there is huge interest in natural products obtained from marine organisms that can promote a state of health and well-being for humans. Microalgae represent a primary source of bioactive compounds that could be used as functional ingredients in cosmetic formulations. The aim of the present study is to evaluate, for the first time, the eff...

The last few years numerous publications have been published about the properties and plant origin of propolis, the glue-like resinous product collected by honeybees. Although, only one scientific experiment has been previously conducted on propolis collection techniques by honey bees, making the relative literature extremely limited in this area....

The release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) incorporated in a new drug carrier, namely a chimeric nanosystem formed by liposomes and dendrimers, was studied following the influence of the drug on the growth kinetics of the Lactobacillus helveticus bacterium, that would mimic the intestinal microflora. The bacterial growth was followed at 3...

The purpose of this study was to examine pharmacists' attitudes, behaviorisms, and preferences towards continuous professional development (CPD) in Greece. The Hellenic Pharmaceutical Society (HPS) in Greece developed a questionnaire that was available online for the Greek pharmacists from all working fields to fill out. All responses were included...

Propolis, a resinous material collected by honeybees (Apis melifera L.) from various plant sources, is rich in phenolics which are recognized widely as strong antioxidants. Since the composition of propolis depends on its origin (vegetation of the area, geographical origin), the intensity of antioxidant activity varies, affecting moreover their ant...

Dendrimers are important molecules that are currently undergoing investigation for use in a variety of different biomedical applications. This book explores the use of dendrimers for a variety of potential functions, including antiamyloidogenic agents, drug delivery systems, nucleic acid and RNA delivery vectors and to produce hybrid fibre platform...

The combination of natural and synthetic biomaterials leads to the formation of advanced Drug Delivery nano Systems (aDDnSs). The aDDnSs can be classified as hybridic (hy‐) or chimeric (chi‐) based on the nature – same or different respectively ‐ of biomaterials used. Such advanced bio complexes can alter the pharmacokinetic properties of the encap...

The aim of this work is to study the morphological characteristics via fractal analysis and the alterations of the thermotropic behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes, caused by the incorporation of cholesterol, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer, and MPOx (poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-grad-poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazoline)) gradient bl...

In this work, we report on the self assembly behavior of chimeric nanosystems consisting of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-grad-poly(2-phenyl-2- oxazoline) (MPOx) gradient copolymers with different composition in phosphate buffer saline (PBS). Indomethacin (IND) was successfully incorporated into these nanocarr...

New nano-scale drug carriers offer the possibility of increasing the therapeutic index of drug molecules by increasing their effectiveness, diminishing their toxicity against physiological tissues and achieving controlled therapeutic levels for a prolonged time. This review gives an overview of approaches to the development of these novel complex n...

Large unilamellar liposomes and multilamellar vesicles consisting of DMPC interacted with cationic phosphorus-containing dendrimers CPDs G3 and G4. DSC and ζ-potential measurements have shown that liposomal-dendrimeric molecular recognition probably occurs due to the interaction between the complementary surface groups. Calorimetric studies indicat...

Chimeric advanced Drug Delivery nano Systems (chi-aDDnSs) could be defined as mixed nanosystems due to the combination process of nanobiomaterials and can offer advantages as drug carriers. The role of the release modulator from the liposomal system is undertaken by the dendrimer molecules leading to new pharmacokinetic and, probably, pharmacologic...

The influence of cationic phosphorus-containing dendrimers generation 3 and 4 on model DMPC or DPPC lipid membranes was studied. Measurements of fluorescence anisotropy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were applied to assess changes in lipid bilayer parameters, including fluidity, anisotropy, and phase-transition temperature. Interaction...

Despite the rapid development of modern pharmaceutics, delivery of drugs to sites of action is not always effective. The research on new targeting delivery systems of pharmacologically active molecules is of great importance. Surface properties such as surface charge of drug delivery particles frequently define their pharmacokinetic profile; hence...

A new Liposomal-Locked in-Dendrimer (LLD) formed by DPPC-DPPG and PAMAM 3.5 incorporating the anticancer drug DOX was studied by means of spectroscopic and DSC investigations. Multilamellar Lipid Bilayers were also considered for the sake of comparison. The results were in line with a picture of phase separation between DPPC-DPPG lipids and dendrim...

Since the late 1960s, the field of drug delivery has focused on the creation of new formulations with improved properties, taking much attention to drug release from the carrier. Liposomes and dendrimers represent two of the most studied drug carriers. A Modulatory Liposomal Controlled Release System (MLCRS) combining liposomal and dendrimeric tech...

Liposomal locked-in dendrimers (LLDs), the combination of liposomes and dendrimers in one formulation, represents a relatively new term in the drug carrier technology. LLDs undergone appropriate physicochemical investigation can merge the benefits of liposomal and dendrimeric nanocarriers. In this study generation 1 and 2 hydroxy-terminated dendrim...

Curcumin is a natural compound with biological activities and potent anticancer effects that has the drawback of poor water solubility which leads to low bioavailability. In this work curcumin was formulated in new physicochemically characterized micellar carriers composed of new synthetic block copolymers. The study of the in vitro release rate of...

To investigate the molecular interaction of amyloid beta peptides Aβ1–28 or Aβ25–40 with model lipid membranes differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and DPH and TMA DPH fluorescence anisotropy approaches were used. The main transition temperature (T m) and enthalpy change (ΔH) of model lipid membranes composed of DMPC/DPPG on addition of Aβ25–40...

The aim of the present work was to study the interaction between PAMAM generation 4 (G4) dendrimer with model lipid membranes (DPPC) for designing new controlled released systems for bioactive molecules by combining dendrimer and liposomal technologies. Thermal analysis and Raman spectroscopy were applied to assess the thermodynamic changes caused...

The interaction between PAMAM (polyamidoamine) dendrimer generation 4 (G4) and 3,5 (G3,5) with model lipid membranes composed of dipalmytoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) has been investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectroscopy were applied to assess the thermodynamic changes caused by PAMAM G4 and G3,5 and to specify the e...

Interactions of dimethoxycurcumin (1) a lipophilic bioactive curcumin derivative with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were investigated. The thermodynamic changes caused by (1) and its location into DPPC lipid bilayers were monitored by differential scanning calorimetry and Raman spectroscopy. The results reveal that (1) influences the therm...